Kids of all ages are always curious about how things work, especially their own bodies. Smart Anatomy from Oregon Scientific is the perfect way to teach kids about human anatomy. Smart Anatomy is packed with tons of information and activities of various levels so that it can be a learning tool for children of all ages and will provide years of educational experience.
Smart Anatomy is composed of a base and body stand with 16 soft body parts, a smart pen, a poster, and a booklet. The pieces, organs on the front of the stand, skeletal ones on the back side, are soft and easy to handle and are printed with invisible ink that the smart pen can read. There are over 150 touch points on all of the pieces that can be used for learning and the 20 various activities. Each piece is also double-sided. The back side of each organ or structure provides an inside or detailed view of the system.
My wife, who is currently studying college Anatomy, was quite impressed with the level of detail in a device made for children. She even showed it to her professor who was also quite impressed.
Alex, the name of the interactive body, can be made into either a boy or a girl with a face sticker. They aren’t removable once you place them but we used double-sided tape to be able to switch back and forth (because when can any two-year-old make up his mind and stick to it).
The plethora of modes and activities is almost overwhelming–there are five modes, each with four different activities. However, they vary in skill and maturity level so we barely scratched the surface–my son is only two, so below the five and up recommended age, but even at two he found plenty to do. The five modes are Touch, System, Healthy Life, Games, and Fun. Each mode has activities that provide or test knowledge of parts and systems while also making it fun, and, hopefully, also guiding children to make healthy choices in life about eating and taking care of their bodies.
My son focused on just one of the interactive activities–the Touch naming. After turning on the pen, you point it at different areas on the parts, and the pen will explain just tell you what it is. My son knows more anatomical parts then I do now.
The other activity he really enjoys, which is totally age appropriate for him, is using Alex like a puzzle. He takes all of the pieces off of her and then puts them back on. It’s extra challenging, and rewarding, due to every piece having two sides and the stand itself having two sides.
He’s asked to get Alex out several times each day since Smart Anatomy arrived and with all of the opportunities for future play here, I am certain it will be a staple in our house for years to come.
Smart Anatomy also comes with a little booklet that illustrates the body systems in detail–explaining what each organ in the system does, and how the system works overall. It’s great reinforcement of what the toy itself teaches in a nice, easily portable format.
One of the other nice things about the smart pen I wanted to mention is that it has a headphone jack. This makes it very easy to allow your child to play away with Smart Anatomy without necessarily driving you mad when you hear “cerebellum” for the 100th time in a row.
I highly recommend Smart Anatomy for all the kids in your life, but certainly for any who are interested and curious about their bodies.
Note: I received a unit for review purposes but all thoughts and opinions above are my own.
